As young people from Japan’s regions continue to migrate to big cities, birthrates are declining, the average age increasing, and population dwindling in the areas they leave behind. Prime Minister Abe Shinzō has set regional revival as a key policy area to address, but centralized government initiatives will hardly be enough to keep nonurban communities alive. This series examines some local efforts and considers viable options to ensure a brighter future for those communities.

How can Japan revive its struggling local economies in the face of depopulation and severed budget constraints? Speaking from long personal and professional experience, Kinoshita Hitoshi calls for a shift from subsidy-dependent community development to a sustainable model driven by private enterprise.(More)

How can Japan revive its struggling local economies in the face of depopulation and severed budget constraints? Speaking from long personal and professional experience, Kinoshita Hitoshi calls for a shift from subsidy-dependent community development to a sustainable model driven by private enterprise.(More)

A small island township of just 2,300 residents off the Shimane coast is often cited as a standout example of regional revival. How has Ama, once a depopulated hamlet facing bankruptcy, been able to reverse its fortunes and build a vibrant community that is luring young people from urban areas?(More)

Four in five municipalities in Hokkaidō are expected to see their population decline by 30% or more over the next quarter century. How are they preparing for such potentially decimating demographic changes? A number of them have come up with unique solutions.(More)